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I A. B. SHAW.

INSTRUMENT FOR ATTAGHING TORPEDOES T0 RAILS. No. 378,491. Patented Nov. 22, 1887.

- and attached to the rail.

UNITED STATES ATENT Fries.

ALEXANDER B. SIIANV, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

INSTRUMENT FOR ATTACHING TORPEDOES TO RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 373,491, dated November 22, 1887.

Application filed May 7, 1887. Serial No. 237,444.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER B. SHAW, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Instruments for Attaching Torpedoes to Railway-Rails, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure I is a rear view of the instrument, showing a rail in transverse section,with a ton pedo in position for attachment to the rail, the staff being broken off. Fig. II is a side view of the same, with the parts in the same position. Fig. III is a longitudinal section at III III, Fig. I. Fig. IV is a transverse section at IV IV, Fig. I. Fig. Vis a transverse section at V V, Fig. I. Fig. VI is a transverse section at VI VI, Fig. I. Fig. VII is a transverse section at VII VII, Fig. VIII, the bolt connecting the fork and tilting frame being removed to show the shape of the open slot or mortise in which the bolt engages. Fig. VIII is a rear view of the instrument, with the torpedo attached to the rail, the staff being broken off. Fig. IX is a side View showing the position of the parts just before leaving the rail after the torpedo has become free from the instrument Fig. X is a perspective View of the torpedo attached to the spring by which it is held on the rail. Fig. XI is a perspective view showing a modification of the spring.

1 is the staff of the attacher, having usually length sufficient to enable the operator standing on a car-platform to conveniently reach a track-rail. This handle ends in what may be called a fork, 2, to whose prongs 3 are pivoted the side bars, 4, of a frame, 5, by pivots 12. The ends of the side bars have return bends 6, which are fitted to engage the ends of the spring-clasp (or clasping-spring) 7, which is attached at its middle to the under side of the torpedo 8. The upturned fingers 9 of the return bends 6 are made with small notches at 10, to receive the ends 11 of the claspingspring 7. 12 are the pintle-studs, upon which the frame turns, these pintles having bearing in the ends of the prongs 3.

18 is a spring secured to the front side of (N0 model.)

the fork or forked head 2, and whose free end 14 bears against the front side of the top bar, 15, of the frame 5. The action of the spring, it will be seen, is to turn the frame 5 on its pintle-bearings 12, when it is disengaged by the movements which take place on the disconnection of the torpedo from the attacher. To prevent the turning of the frame 5 on its pintles, the top bar of the frame 5 and of the fork 2 are locked together by a T-shaped bolt, 16, whose shank works in a mortise, 17, of the frame 5 and a T-shaped mortise, 18, made in the fork 2, the mortise being open through the back of the fork, the side opening, 19, of the mortise allowing the passage of the shank 20 when the bolt is in its elevated position, as seen in Figs. VII and VIII; but when the bolt is in its lower position, as seen in Figs. I, III, and IV, the head 21 engages in the recesses 22 of the mortise, (see Fig. VII,) and the frame 5 and head, fork, or frame 2 are then held in one plane. The bolt 16 is attached to the top bar of a frame, 28, sliding within the frame 5, and whose lower ends work in the return bends 6 of the frame 5. The frame 23 is guided by the bolt 16 and pins 24, which are fast in the frame 23 and work in open slots 25 of the return bends 6. In addition, the frame 5 may have guide-pins 26, working in slots 27 of the frame 23; but these guide-pins are not essential. \Vhen the ends of the spring 7 are inserted in the notches 10, the spring is held in its expanded position ready to be placed across the rail. On the upward movement of the frame 23 the pins or projections 24 push the ends of the spring from the notches 10, and the spring contracts on the rail and holds the torpedo firmly in position. The top bar of the frame 23 has a'front extension, 28,which overlies the torpedo, and which has a stud, 29, that extends down n front of the torpedo to a position below the bottom of the torpedo, so as to impinge upon the top of the rail before the torpedo touches it, and thus the torpedo is preserved from concussion, and the torpedo and frame 23 thrown upward in the frame 5 by the pressure of the rail against the stud, instead of pressure of the rail directly against the torpedo. The projection or plate 28 may be bent to act as a spring, as seen in Fig. I.

The ordinary hand-torpedo has a bar, 30, of

lead or other flexible and non-elastic metal, which is bent around the head of the rail to fasten the torpedo upon it. To enable the attachment of the torpedo to the spring 7, the spring is made with two slots or notches, 31, through which the ends of the bar are passed, and then twisted or bent in such a manner as to lock the torpedo fast upon the spring.

32 is a spring,which is secured to the upper side of the top bar of frame 23,2111d which bears against the under side of the top bar, 15, of frame 5, so as to hold the frame 23 andtorpedo down and to hold and to keep the lower ends of the spring 7 in the notches 10 until the upward movement of the frame 23 takes place.

In the modification shown in Figs. IX and X the lower ends of the frame 5 are made I with a hinged catch in the shape of a bellcrank, whose upright arm 9 is similar to the upturned arm 9 shown in the prior figures, and whose horizontal arm 33 is held down, as seen in Fig. 1X, when the frame 23 is in its lower position; but when the frame 23 is thrown up the arm or toe 33 is relieved from the pressure of frame 23, and the tension of the spring 7 pulls out the arm 9 and the ends of the spring slip out of the notches 10. (See Fig. XI.)

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, in an instrument for attaching torpedoes to railway-rails, of a staff, a frame, '5, connected to the staff and. having notches at the ends of its sides to engage a spring attached to the torpedo, and a frame,

23, sliding in the frame 5 and having projections 24 to dislodge the end of the spring from the notches, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the staff 1, fork 2,

frame 5, pivoted to the fork and having notches to engage the ends of the claspingspring 7, and a frame, 23, sliding in frame 5 and having projections 24 to disengage the ends of the clasping-spring from the notches, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of staff 1, fork 2, frame 5, with notches 10, and a sliding frame, 23, having a stud, 29, for impingement against the rail, andprojections 24, to lift the ends of a clasping-spring from the notches 10 on the ascent of the frame 23, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of a staff, 1, a fork, 2, a frame, 5, pivoted to thefork and having notches 10 to engage the ends of a claspingspring, a frame, 23, sliding in the frame 5, a spring, 32, between the two frames, and pro jection 24 on the sliding frame, adapted to dislodge the ends of the clasping-spring from the notches 10 on the ascent of the frame 23, for the purpose set forth. 5. The combination of the staff 1, fork 2, frame 5, pivoted to the fork and having notches 10, a spring, 7, having slots 31, and a frame, 23, sliding in the frame 5 and having projections 24, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination of the staff 1, fork 2, pivoted frame 5, with extension 28, and stud ,or projection 29, spring 13, fixed to the fork and bearing against the frame 5, notches 10 in the frame 5, sliding frame 23, having projections 24, and bolt 16, passing through a slot in the frame 5 and engaging in a recess in the fork, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ALEXANDER B. SHAW. 

